When kicking any object resting on the ground, the normal inclination is to approach the object head-on, and attempt to make contact with the toe of the shoe. While satisfactory for ensuring contact with the object itself, this method is not well suited for those athletic purposes when both distance and accuracy are important, such as power-kicking a soccer ball, or place-kicking a football, for two significant reasons:
(1) Owing to the nature of the approach, the momentum generated by the top of the leg (from hip to knee) is restricted, thereby limiting the amount of energy which can be transferred to the ball; and,
(2) Owing to the small surface area of the foot which is brought into contact with the ball, the probability of mis-kicks is high.
By contrast, the ideal kicking technique for distance and accuracy would:
(1) Maximize the momentum generated by the top of the leg by swinging the leg around the front of the body to increase the length of the arc travelled by the foot; and,
(2) Bring more surface area into contact with the ball by making the point of impact the top, rather than the toe, of the foot.
The embodiment of this technique is the diagonal approach and kicking style used in the most popular sport in the world: Soccer. Its superiority over other techniques is demonstrated by the almost total dominance within the past 20 years, of the so-called "sidewinder", or soccer style kicker, over the traditional head-on place-kicker in the American sport of football. Football coaches have come to recognize that the "sweet spot", or optimum area of the foot to bring into contact with the ball during a place-kick, is the same as for a punt: The top of the foot.
This kicking technique is one which must be learned. It does not come naturally. That is the reason why it was virtually unknown in American football until the popularity of soccer began to spread to this country.
Instructing new players in the proper technique for power-kicking a soccer ball, or place-kicking, or even punting, a football, is difficult because it is not possible for a coach to see each time precisely the point at which the moving foot contacts the ball.
The object of this invention is to provide a training aid which will overcome this inherent limitation of visual observation by incorporating a mechanism for emitting an audible signal whenever a ball is struck by the desired area of the foot.
A further object of this invention is to provide a means of self training through which the sound emitted whenever the kicked ball is struck by the desired area of the foot acts as audible reinforcement to the player.
A further object of this invention is to achieve any or all of these objectives by means of an accessory which will not interfere in the play of the game, and which could be used during play.
A further object of this invention is to achieve any or all of these objectives by means of an accessory which can easily be attached, and detached, from any lace-up shoe such as those typically encountered in athletics.